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Can't help but share this quirky "call for artists" ...

www.marionartsfestival.com

March 14 & 15
Historic Downtown Leesburg, Florida
Saturday & Sunday - 10 am to 5 pm
120 Artists

In our 38th year, the Leesburg Art Festival is held on Main Street in Downtown Leesburg. Leesburg is located in the heart of Central Florida, equal distance from each coast.

The Leesburg Art Festival in historic downtown leesburg, Florida is celebrating its 38th year March 14 and 15, 2015. Some of the country's most accomplished artists, as well as rising stars, vie for the $1500 Best in Show Award, Merit, and Judge's choice Awards during the juried event. Cash awards totaling $5,750 will be awarded. Also, the Collectors Circle Program has given the artists over $70,000 in sales since the advanced sale of art vouchers to our members began.

Why you should be here:

• Limited to 120 juried artists
• Event is publicized on TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and social media
• Awards to Artists totals $5,750:  Grand Prize:  $1,500, First Place:  $750, 2-D Judge's Choice:  $500, 3-D Judge's Choice:  $500, Special Awards:  $250 (10 each, without regard to category)
• Jury fee:  $25
• Booth fee:$150; Corner Booth: $175
• Artist amenities:  Block captains/booth sitting, free water deliveries, free coffee, free artist dinner on Saturday night with free beer and wine
• Collector's Circle prepurchase program
• "Walk with the Expert" program brings patrons directly to your booth
• Drive in loading and unloading
• Convenient, free artist and RV parking
• Website:   www.LeesburgArtFestival.com For more info call the Leesburg Center for the Arts - 352-365-0232
  
  

  APPLY RIGHT NOW: www.Zapplication.org

June 13 & 14
Chicago, Illinois

250 Artists

Deadline:  December 15

The Old Town Art Fair is a fine art show located on the streets, amid the charming homes and leafy parkways, of the historic Old Town Triangle neighborhood on Chicago's near north side. Picked as one of American Style Magazine's Top Ten art fairs, it had been a perennial favorite of artists, art lovers and art buyers since 1948.  This volunteer-run event benefits neighborhood groups and schools and the Old Town Triangle Association, presenter of the Fair.

The 66th annual edition promises to be something even more special!

• Openings:  40% of our spaces are open to applying artists
• Fewer Booths:  we have decreased the number of booths/artists back to 250
• Better Entertainment: our music venues and offerings are appropriate to our patronage and environment
• Better Food:  We have brought the quality up to the level of the art
• Better Outreach: We surveyed patrons, met with artists and stepped up our public relations efforts.

All two and three-dimensional fine artists who meet the show's qualifications are invited to apply for this premier event. 

Please visit www.Zapplication.org for details and to complete an application.

For more information:  www.oldtowntriangle.com 

See more glimpses of this cool urban fair in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3owrM-QTKgs

May 15, 16, and 17
Reston, Virginia
Reston Town Center
10 am – 6pm Saturday, 10am – 5pm on Sunday
produced by Greater Reston Arts Center
Over 200 artists
Deadline: Sunday, December 13

Our Festival is a competitive, juried, outdoor event that showcases the best contemporary fine art and craft from around the nation, typically attracting 30,000+ patrons. Held in the affluent area of Northern Virginia, thirty minutes outside of Washington DC, Reston Town Center is an easily accessible, upscale, elegant, shopping destination. 

We are committed to elevating the profile of our Festival and have doubled our marketing budget for 2015 to reach new audiences and promote interest from collectors. To enhance regional appeal and promote an art-focused atmosphere for the Festival, we are also partnering with internationally-recognized earth artist Patrick Dougherty. Mr. Dougherty will construct a site-specific, immersive, temporary installation in Town Square Park, which will be on view during the Festival and will be promoted as part of the Festival activities.

Our Festival places the emphasis on the art and the artists with ample artist amenities.
We recognize that our artists invest time, effort and money in us and we strive to make sure that everyone’s Festival experience is excellent.

Below are some of the artist hospitality attributes of our event. 

• Drive up set-up/tear down adjacent to booth on Friday, May 15.
• Reserved artist only parking for oversize vehicles
• More convenient and profitable selling hours
• Complimentary invitation for all participating artists to Friday's Festival Launch Party
• Ample volunteer support & booth sitters
• Continental breakfasts, free bottled water delivery
• Reduced hotel rates
• Indoor restrooms
• Security
• Artist mentor opportunities
• $5,000 in awards and Artist Awards champagne reception on Saturday night at the Greater Reston Arts Center
• A professional program with thumbnail images from every artist with accompanying booth numbers 

Apply today through Juried Art Services http://www.juriedartservices.com/index.php?content=event_info&event_id=840 

The Festival features over 200 skilled artisans who utilize both traditional and unconventional materials and techniques to create hand-crafted, original works of art available for purchase. The sheer diversity of fine art and craft at the Festival, now in its 24th year, ensures that there is something for every taste and budget. One of the highlights of visiting the Festival is having the opportunity to interact directly with the talented participating artists.

Visit www.restonarts.org to learn more about Greater Reston Arts Center, the dynamic visual arts organization that annually produces the Festival, and how it supports our mission to enrich the community through excellent in contemporary visual arts. To ensure and elevate the success of our organization we have an incredibly dedicated Board of Directors, a full compliment of art professionals on staff, and the support of corporate partners, local businesses, members, educators, artists, and patrons.

Additional questions can be answered by GRACE’s Festival Director, Erica Harrison, ericaharrison@restonarts.org or at 703.471.9242

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Find even more fine art festivals and craft shows looking for artists in 2015: www.CallsforArtists.com

So on the art fair scene, I am still an introvert. I say "Hello" but probably nothing else unless someone ask's me a question. So my work speaks for itself? My sales this year were double of that of 2013. But how does an introvert interact with the customers coming into by booth? What advice would you give me to open up more with customers entering my booth? Are there other introverts in the art fair scene? And how have you done with being in this condition? I know I am kind of shy as well. So all my Lego minifigure photos and vintage Fisher Price Little People shots speak for themselves? I'm trying to get a grip on my introversion and how do you close a sale with this? 

I am new to  Artfair Insiders, and am curious if there is ever a show in Springfield, Mo. I wanted to attend a show sometime.    I am curious if most of the art shows are wall art.

I am a woodworker, and buid many different types of boxes, but have never set up at any show because of the expense in doing so, and the travel.    I have no storage room for booth shelves and a canopy, ect. at this point.   If I would do shows, I will have to make an investment in equipment.

I also have another question for anyone to answer.  I have a website, and process credit cards through the websites sister company, but if I sell at a show; I will need a portable card processor, and don't want to spend a fortune on a new cell phone, and hire a computer guy to teach me how to use the system.  I want a simple credit card scanner / processor that will make direct bank deposits, and send me an email re the deposit.  Can someone recommend to me who they use.

Regards,

Bill Mieswinkel

I was just curious if anyone had any experience with selling with this online juried website? I applied and was accepted, but I don't know of anyone who has used it and was a little nervous to try it out. If it works as it says though, it could be a pretty nice tool. I'd really like to hear from anyone who has had experience with them.

Here is the link:

http://theartgallerist.com/

All of us folks in Michigan have been ga-ga for many years about the amazing work and the social activity that takes place in late September in Grand Rapids at the $500,000 ArtPrize.

Guess what folks? The people in Dallas want an ArtPrize too. Texas artists take note ... this is an amazing opportunity to have your most fabulous work entered into this popular competition and a crack at the very BIG prize money.

From the Detroit News:

For a fee in the "middle-to-upper six figures," according to ArtPrize spokeswoman Jaenell Ott, the hugely successful Grand Rapids art festival is lending its name and expertise to create a lookalike festival in Dallas, set to debut in 2016.

ArtPrize Dallas will be a freestanding nonprofit, raising the $500,000 festival officials say they hope to give out in awards on its own. The original ArtPrize, initially funded by the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, will not be contributing.

Like the Grand Rapids original, ArtPrize Dallas will be a 19-day event, though it will take place in April, not late September. And it will harness public votes to award at least some of the prizes.

Among the resources ArtPrize officials will transfer to the Dallas operation is their suite of technology-based engagement tools for artists, venue registration, voter "activation" and management. They also will school their Dallas colleagues in event production, how to support artists, trademark licensing and other business matters.

City Hall is already on board. "ArtPrize Dallas will create a lasting impact on the culture of Dallas by engaging and nurturing future artists and promoting a meaningful discussion," said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings in a statement.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the survey and shared it with others. Our second annual best art fair survey is all tallied. The purpose of the survey is to bring attention to the best shows in the country and promote "art fair tourism."

Artists have opportunities to share their best shows, but the people who attend don't. We sent out emails to our 50,000+ email subscriber list and posted it through our websites, Facebook and Twitter. Friends took it and shared it also. The results reflect the art fair buyers perspectives, a very component of our business.

The top 50 fairs have exciting quality art, fascinating artists and ever-changing venues in big cities and small towns, oceanfront and lakefront, it all adds to the diversity of your experience and keeps you coming back.

AMERICA'S BEST ART FAIRS - the Top Ten

Don't miss the entire Top 50 art fairs, craft shows and art festivals, including the Best Regional shows, the best urban show, and interesting demographic information: www.BestArtFairs.com

There are more details at that link about who took the survey, why people come to art show, what they buy, why they buy and why they don't come to some shows any more, including a lot of great tips for show organizers.

Learn even more in our podcast where we talk about more of the details and share statistics. Our guest Laura Berarducci, Marketing Director of the Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureau talks about the economic impact of the popular art fair on the region.

Listen to that here: podcast-bestartfairs

Show directors, we are preparing a report analyzing the results of the survey that will be ready soon. Stay tuned, you'll be hearing more!

Sara Shambarger, director of art fairs at the Krasl Art Center, resigned on November 21, the organization announced. Shambarger spent 19 years directing the popular Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff, and three years leading the Artisan Market fundraiser for the St. Joseph art center.

The popular St. Joe art fair was started in 1962 and has been a loved local tradition, increasing in prestige and attendance in subsequent years. When Sara took over the art fair it was heavily grandfathered, reinviting the same artists back every year. Under her direction each succeeding year there have been fewer invitations and the event has opened up to a greater diversity of artists. 

With her fine attention to detail and the relationships she developed throughout the area she was a great partner with the media and tourism bureau, using them wisely to grow attendance from a mostly local and summer tourist event to a well-known show around the Midwest. The Chicago area tourist crowd who have second homes in the area plan to be in St. Joe specifically for the show. It is a "must do" on the western side of the state.

Sara excelled at artist hospitality, instituting many amenities to enable artists to afford to stay in the area on that weekend, including a home stay program where locals opened their home to artist guests. As many people on vacation bring their dogs and they are not allowed at the fair she began a relationship with the local animal shelter so that now when someone shows up with Rover there is a kennel right there where he will be taken care of while Rover's family shops at the show.

With a master's degree in social work Sara knew how to listen to people and empathize. Artists are losing a solid advocate with her departure. Sara is a well-loved person in the art fair business. Her smiling face and helpful manner will be missed in St. Joe in July.

More info: http://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/local/shambarger-leaves-krasl-art-center/article_e315594c-8f92-5d00-8d74-b3c9948c0a15.html

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 - 3 PM ET

ArtFairCalendar.com has just finished its 2nd annual "America's Best Art Fairs" survey and we'll be announcing the winners. 

We asked our mailing list of over 50,000 art fair patrons what was the best art fair in the country and had an amazing nationwide response. Nearly 90% of the respondents completed the lengthy 20 question survey and the answers were both expected and intriguing. 

Listen to find out what the Top 50 shows in the country are as voted on by the people who attend them and collect art. Find out which they have chosen as the best regional fairs, best urban fair, best small market show and the best cities for art fairs.

We'll share the survey answers on:

• what makes a show "Best"
• why people say they attend an art fair
• how art fair goers find out about shows to attend
• why they don't attend shows they used to love
• how far they travel to art fairs
• their suggestions for show organizers

Laura Berarducci from the Ann Arbor Convention & Visitors Bureau also reports on the economic impact of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs in that community. 

The purpose of the survey is to find which the art fair patrons like the best and then announce that list to encourage "art fair tourism", promoting the unique American tradition of art fairs by showcasing the events where art collectors find hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind fine work for sale and encourage the interaction of client and creator. 

Artists, I hope you'll share this list with your clients when we publish it. Together we can make a difference in attracting patrons to these events.

Congratulations to Oscar Matos Linares and thanks to him for his poignant and personal post, "What it Means to be an Hispanic Artist in the United States of America in year 2014." The members have chosen it as the "best in October 2014."

So, I did do the Guild's first year show in Ypsilanti, Michigan; The Holiday Art Fair. It was at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center. Saturday of the show was kind of slow. Most of the artists that I talked to, sales were down. That was for me too. Just making over a $100 on Saturday.

But the Guild called me on Thursday to be on television. Yes, I would not pass up any free exposure. So at 8:18 in the Sunday morning I was interviewed by Fox 2 Detroit for my art work. But Sunday was a different story. I blew past the booth fee. Maybe it was the location, maybe it was a new fair but that Saturday was pretty dull. This was not my best show of the year. Ranking in sales probably number 14 out of 17 fairs. But I was still happy with my sales on Sunday. I was hoping for a bit more but I'll take what I can get.

Plus, I had a Etsy sale on Monday. The person saw me on Fox 2 and ordered one of my pieces. Plus I was neighbors with Susan Hamady. We have a couple of her pieces in our house from an old Sylvania, Ohio art fair.

My booth is second booth in the left bottom corner...

These photos were from Saturday at the Art Fair...

May 9 & 10      
Bethesda, Maryland
Presented by Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District
Saturday 10am-6pm; Sunday 10am-5pm
120+ Exhibitors
Deadline:  December 5

The 12th Annual Bethesda Fine Arts Festival will once again welcome the nation's best artists to display and sell their original fine art and craft on the streets of Bethesda. The festival annually attracts artists from throughout the United States and Canada and draws more than 20,000 attendees.  It features 130 booth spaces and presents juried prizes to artists.  
The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, located adjacent to the nation's capital, is promoted throughout the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. region. 

All original fine art and fine craft is eligible to apply.  All work must be created by the artist: no manufactured or mass produced work is eligible. 

Artist amenities include                   

• 24/7 security  
• complimentary breakfast and lunch      
• prizes       
• free parking    
• booth sitters and more
•         

The event also includes live music, food sold by local restaurants and activities for children.  Admission to the festival is free. 

Who we are:
The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival is produced by Bethesda Urban- Partnership, Inc. (BUP) and the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District. BUP in a non-profit organization established by Montgomery County in 1994 to manage downtown Bethesda.

Bethesda was designated as an Arts & Entertainment District by the state of Maryland in 2002. BUP and the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District produce high quality arts and cultural programming events, and festivals that benefit residents, businesses and tourists.

Three Rivers Art Festival in Covington Louisiana was this past weekend.  What a fun show to do.  This was my first year showing here.  I have family in Louisiana, so last year when I was asked to be a roadie I figured I would go check out why so many talented artists do this show which is in a small historic area outside of New Orleans.  What I saw gave me enough incentive to try it for myself this year. 

The show is set up along the main shopping street that has restaurants, bars, art galleries, charming historic hardware stores and boutiques.  The booths are set up along the curb in the street across from each other.  Most of us have storage behind us but it is a sidewalk and stores behind us so depending on where you are you need to be considerate of the businesses and leave space for people to use the sidewalk.  There are a lot of corner booths because the show leaves business entrances visible, my point we aren't all packed in. 

Set up is Friday late afternoon.  You can register, yes you need a picture id, starting at 3pm.  You receive a ton of helpful info and other lagniappes  and set up on the street starts at 4:30pm.  Getting to your space is not to bad and there are a lot of alleys if you can do a short dolly.  Parking is easy, lots of options.  There are only two possible problems, first cars are allowed to park on this street until 4:30pm and every space is taken.  Many of the people either forget or didn't realize they needed to move their cars so we could set up. 

The show director gave all of us her direct cell number and picked up and responded asap.  She was on it and anyone who had a car in their booth spot would have a police officer come talk to them and find the owner of the car and get that owner to move it.  I had the car out of my space in 5 minutes.  The jeweler next to me had to wait an hour but the police officer and the show gave her updates on the owner of the car and let her know what was going on.  The other possible problem is it gets dark early, by 6pm you are in the dark dark.  Bring lights if you need them for set up. 

There is a wonderful, fun, Louisiana style dinner for the artists.  It starts at 6:30 and goes until 8pm.  I went last year and it was good, had a fun band and the beer was cold.  This year it was really really really cold.  They set up outdoor heaters but most artists opted to eat at a restaurant in doors.  I did run by after dinner on the walk back to my place to grab a free beer and the staff was still there and music was playing and they kept the party going even though only a few artists stuck it out.  Wish it would have been a bit warmer because the Louisiana folks do know how to throw a party:)

Saturday morning they ask that you are all set up and ready to roll by 9am.  Judging starts at 9am.  They give out quite a few awards with cash money.  It was difficult to get out of bed and into the cold but I did it.  Surprisingly patrons were starting to show up around 9am too.  The judges came by and it was great to see that the judges actually went into the booths and actually talked to the artists.  What a concept. 

Over the course of the day many members of the board came by and introduced themselves.  The block captains introduced themselves and checked on us over and over again.  They walked around with hot coffee and water like a flight attendant.  The group that runs this show really cares about the show and the artists and they show it. 

By 10am there was a decent crowd an it stayed that way until closing, 5pm.  The LSU game was an evening game so I believe that helped.  The jewelers around me had packed booths all day.  Those that had price points and smaller pieces at $500 and under reported a good to great day on Saturday.  For me, pp start at $1k and I am very contemporary, I was not as well received but had a decent amount of people that seemed serious and went home to measure.  This usually is a good indicator for me, BUT  I knew the Saints had an early game on Sunday and Sunday called for rain all day long.  That night at dinner my other artists friends with higher pp reported a similar day. 

Sunday morning there was a great artist breakfast and awards were given.  These people really spoil us.  Sunday open at 10 am again.  Not many patrons there but a few.  Forecast was rain and it felt like rain was coming.  The best part was it had warmed up.  No long underwear or gloves needed:)  The rain held off all day!!!!  Crowds were never very big on Sunday and the jewelers had time to use the bathrooms.  The be backs did not come back. 

Most of the people who had great Saturdays  were not doing so great on Sunday but were happy because Saturday was enough to make their show.  Those of us that had higher price points seemed to pull it out, barely with the exception of an artist who had a new restaurant come and buy all her bigs and some smalls and made a great show for her.  I covered expenses and like the big guy says, made a paycheck.  It was enough to make me want to go back next year.

Break down started at 4:30 with the show officially over at 5pm.  Most of us could get our vehicles close enough to dolly the light things out then drive up to our booths the load up the heavier items.  I had a double booth and was out of there and on my bnb porch by 5:20 sipping a mint julep:)

This show is a treat to do.  If you are a foodie you will be in heaven.  If you can swing a bit more for lodging then the show becomes an event for you not just another  grueling show.  You can stay right in historic Covington, walk to the show and  park your car once and not move it until it is time to go home.  I stay at a small BnB two blocks from the show and have the most wonderful experience while showing.

The show staff treats you like royalty.  The patrons are the best around, Louisiana folks are the best.  If you are more traditional and have price points under $1k you could do very well.   There are many qualified buyers for high pp items but the contemporary work is a bit harder sell. 

This was the last show for me this year.   Laissez les bon temps rouler ...

A while back, there was a post about giving discounts at art shows. Some artists refuse to give discounts to potential customers at shows, stating that it is an insult. While I agree with this to a point, I have managed to turn this around on several occasions. When someone asks me if I will take less, I simply tell them that I am always willing to take less for people who make multiple purchases and for past customers.

Over the years, this has worked wonders for me, not only at the time of the original sale, but at future shows I attend as well. Once a person has purchased one of my pieces, I tell the customer that any time they purchase a piece directly from me at any show I attend, they automatically receive a 25% discount. I know, 25% is pretty high.

BUT just this past year, over half of my sales were to people who have purchased pieces from me in the past. There is one couple in Indiana that now own 16 of my pieces. Another family in Florida has turned it into a true family adventure. Mom and Dad own 8 pieces, and their two daughters and husbands own 4 and 5 pieces within each family. And I have countless other examples like this as well. Hopefully, they are purchasing my pieces because they like my paintings, but I have to believe that the discount helps a little.

This past year, I only did 6 art shows. I usually do between 10 and 12 shows per year. I always send notices to people who have purchased from me in the past, reminding them about the discount. With the short show list this year, I actually had several people who traveled over 200 miles to come make a purchase from me at some of the shows I attended. My sales were only down slightly this year, even with the reduced schedule.

I look at discounting my work as a "Thank You" to the people who have given me the opportunity to do this thing that I love to do.

As you may remember, I blogged recently about how my booth was destroyed overnight while I was exhibiting at this fine festival in October.

Today, I received  a check from them to recover all my damages to my display.

It restores my faith in art show promoters having integrity and caring about what happens to we exhibitors at their shows.

I am humbled, and happy.  Thanks Historic Bluffton Art and Seafood Festival committee members for your actions.

Now, I am off to buy a new canopy and display panels.  Yipeee!!!!

January 17 & 18
Venice, Florida
Venice Airport Festival Grounds
Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
200 Exhibitors
Deadline: December 1

NOTEWORTHY:

• Independently juried event
• Cash Awards
• Exhibitors may park immediately behind their booth in most cases
• Long history of excellent sales
• Jury/Booth Fees ($30/$240); double size spaces available at extra cost
• Friday set up and drive up to your space to unload
• Artist amenities include morning coffee and donuts and a Saturday evening buffet meal.
• Overnight 24 Hour security on Friday and Saturday nights
• For more details about the show visit www.venicenokomisrotary.org

This highly regarded festival offers artists the opportunity to present their fine art and craft in a high traffic area during the busiest time of the winter season.  Venice, a few miles south of Sarasota is populated by upper-income residents and affluent seasonal visitors.  Qualify of the work exhibited attracts knowledgeable art lovers and buyers.  Venice is a historically significant community with an established commitment to the arts going back to the days when the Ringling Circus wintered in Venice.   

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

How making changes in his art enabled Batik artist, Amos Amit, to revitalize an art fair career that started in the 1970's, engaging his old customers and finding a new audience to appreciate his work. It also brought awards and acceptance at even more of the top shows. This is engaging and strategic advice from a respected veteran of the art fair business.